If you’re looking for historical information about previous brood emergences try Cicada Central’s Magicicada Database. Click on the link that reads Magicicada Database and then follow the instructions (hint: search for the 13 (XIII) brood and the year 1990).
Magicicada periodical cicada Broods.
April 28, 2007
April 25, 2007
Soil Temperature
Spectrum Technologies is monitoring the soil temperature in Plainfield and Naperville Illinois.
In northern Illinois and surrounding areas, three species of Magicicada emerge from the soil every 17 years for a brief above-ground visit. Brood XIII will emerge when soil temperature reaches approximately 65° F. Spectrum data loggers are busy tracking soil temperature near Spectrum headquarters in northern Illinois to estimate when to expect their arrival.
April 24, 2007
The first Brood XIII sighting (sort of)
Rene reported ]that she saw Magicicada nymphs in holes in a friend’s garden in SE Elmhurst Illinois.
We’re currently expecting the emergence to start on May 24th, but the hot weekend might have roused the cicadas to an early start. We’ll see.
April 13, 2007
The Cicada Lover Song
One of the fun things about large 17-year cicada emergences like Brood XIII is the pop culture that emerges from the imaginations of inspired cicada maniacs: people write and record songs, perform plays and musicals, make independent films, paint paintings, wake websites, etc.
Today we got an email from a song writer named Gregg who has a song called the Cicada Lover song that he recorded 17 years ago. It’s back, Cicada 2.0 style.
My name is Gregory Paul. I thought you might be interested in this website: www.cicadalover.com.
This is a song that I originally wrote and recorded 17 years ago. Kelly Clark sang it then, too. We were both just getting started in the Chicago theater scene. Since then, we’ve both gone on to do a lot of shows at various theaters around the city but this is the first time we’ve worked together again since the 1990 recording. Cicada Lover was played on the local radio stations then and was a popular number on the Dr. Demento show.
We just re-recorded the new version (we call it Cicado 2.0) last week to celebrate the imminent return of the 17-year-locusts to Chicago.
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April 3, 2007
Brood XIII t-shirts and other stuff
People have started asking for Brood XIII shirts and other stuff like mugs and pillows, so I made them. The cicadas will be in the ground for about 2 months but the shirts are here. I recommend that you don’t buy one unless you see (and hear) the actual cicadas. Otherwise it’s like wearing a Bahamas t-shirt without ever going there. 🙂
March 3, 2007
More Brood XIII News
Cicadas in Illinois, 13 or 17 Year “Locust”? — this page features a brood map of Illinois that shows you the general area where they’ll appear.
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March 1, 2007
First News Story About Brood XIII Emergence
CicadaMobile hits the road, and article in the Daily Herald by Mike Zawislak. The Lake County Forest Preserve District has hired a cicada expert to travel around, educating people about cicadas. Awesome.
Starting April 16, the forest preserve district’s Cicada Mobile will be motoring to schools, festivals, farmers markets and other community gatherings through July. The program is free.
Thanks to Roy Troutman for passing this along.
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November 17, 2006
Melanie Chang’s Magicicada Photos
Here’s some nostalgia for you: Brood X photos from Burke, VA, June 2004, taken by Melanie Chang.
Click the images for a larger version.
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September 25, 2006
Magicicada Curveball
I bet you thought I was going to post another Tibicen photo! Here’s a Magicicada photo Ryan Anderson took during the 2002 brood XXIII emergence in Kentucky.
Now is a good a time as any to point out the difference between Magicicadas and Tibicens:
Magicicadas:
- Emerge in en masse in groups called broods
- There are 15 different broods. Broods emerge every 13 or 17 years depending on the brood. No broods emerged in 2006.
- Magicicadas have red eyes, black bodies and orange legs and wings
- Other names for Magicicadas: periodical cicadas, “locusts”, 17-year cicadas, 13-year cicadas
Tibicens:
- Emerge in limited numbers, and not in broods
- Emerge every year
- Tibicens are typically larger than Magicicadas. Tibicens are usually a combination of green, black, or brown.
- Other names for Tibicens: Harvest Flies, annual cicadas, Dog-Day cicadas
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August 7, 2005
Brood X: Year of the Cicada documentary
Director Rohit Colin Rao is getting set to release his documentary Brood X: Year of the Cicada. The documentary focuses on the Brood X emergence of last year. The trailer looks awesome.
Speaking of Brood X, I found a home movie from 2004 on the Internet Archive: Cicadas in Cincinnati, May 2004.